Plug-in chandelier do it yourself Thrifted Hardwired Light (2023)

Hello friends! Crystal from The Weathered Fox is back with another easy tutorial from our home renovation adventures. This time I will take you to our dining room to show you how we solved our no light problem in the dining room without opening the ceiling or hiring an electrician.

Apparently our house was built before people liked to turn on the lights because when we moved in there were only two lights on the first floor and both were in the kitchen. Maybe they had a better view? Or maybe they have lived their entire lives from sunrise to sunset. Because no one could function with the amount of light available in this house! Seriously, I think this was a time when people relied heavily on incandescent bulbs for light instead of ceiling lights. I'm digressing

We did manage to add recessed lighting during our kitchen remodel, but that required tearing down the drywall, rerouting the power cord, and calling for help because I have no idea about any of this. For the dining room I wanted to hang a chandelier but didn't have the time, motivation or money to hire an electrician to do it. So I went all the loot for this project.

Yes, there was a time when swag was about lighting, drapes, and decor, not attitude, clothing, or gifts. Not sure when that changed? Somewhere in the Justin Bieber era?

But anyway, this is the story of how I transformed an old brass chandelier into an antique farmhouse chandelier with a snap connection (booty *sigh*).

But don't worry, that's not your grandmother's style.

cheap chandelier to plug in light for dining room

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To complete this plug-in chandelier makeover, you'll need these tools and materials:

lackluster
White spray paint with a matte finishthe acrylic painting
Fita Painter
Aged wax or brown paint
white color (optional)
brush
Fabric of your choice for the drawstring cover (I usedone similar to this)
cable cutter
glue gun
Lamp cord in the desired lengthminon-polarizing plug(Oh onegift set)
electric tape
the wire nut
cup hook
toggle hook and anchor

painting an antique brass chandelier

Step 1: Preparation for painting

I started by removing the plastic spark plug tube around the lights. If you are spray painting, which is much faster than painting by hand, secure the socket with tape to avoid spraying the sockets. I wiped down the entire chandelier with a damp cloth and then used a degreaser to help the paint adhere to the shiny surface.

(Video) HANGING PENDANT LIGHTS WITHOUT HARDWIRING

Step 2 - Paint the Base Coat

After cleaning and priming the chandelier, I painted two coats of light brown all over the chandelier. However, if you are perfecting this process, I would recommend using white spray paint. It turns out to be much faster, but gives the same result.

Step 3: Ancient Technique

I waited two hours for the paint to dry completely and began rubbing dark wax onto the painted surface.

This is where personal preference comes into play. I wanted the piece to look vintage but not too dark. So I ended up mixing some white paint with water to go over the lime wax. I alternated back and forth between wax and lime until I got the look I wanted.

The painting technique ended up being perfect, with a beautiful aged patina in every crevice, and it really shows off the detail in this chandelier.

Creating a cable jacket

Now that we have the chandelier the way we want it, it's time to convert it from hardwire to plugin! I have a plug in switch so this was the easiest way to get light in my dining room without opening the ceiling. The first thing I did was make a cable cover for the long cable that runs from the ceiling to the wall.

Step 1 – Cut the fabric into 3- to 4-inch strips

It doesn't have to be exact. You just need enough fabric that you can fold and glue.

(Video) VLOG | I TURNED A CHANDELIER INTO A PLUG IN LIGHT! | IT'S SO CUTE!!

Step 2: Apply hot glue

Turn the finished fabric side down and fold it in half so that part of the finished side shows. Add hot glue to the edge of one finished side and press against the opposite finished side. This creates a beautiful tube of fabric that will hide cuts or frayed edges. 🙂

Step 3: Insert the wire

Insert the cord into the new tube of fabric and crumple it up a bit. Keep making smaller fabric tubes until you cover the entire length of the cord. I hid the seams on each new tube by threading one end into the beginning of the next tube. The cover over the chain had to be a bit wider so if you have a chain keep that in mind.

Convert a wired light to plugin

Disclaimer: I am not an electrical expert, I did my own research and asked others for help who might have knowledge in the field. This tutorial is not a substitute for expert advice.

After the lamp cord is fully covered, it's time to connect the lamp cord to the chandelier cord. I had help determining which wires to connect. Some lights have different colored wires to help guide you, but mine were the same color. You should consult an experienced person and check your cables and connectors before connecting anything.

Step One: Start With Freshly Cut Wires

Cut both sets of wires for a new edge, space the two wires about 1 inch apart, and strip about 3/4 inch of insulation around each wire.

Step Two - Connect Your Wires

Twist one wire from the chandelier with one wire from the chandelier cord and secure by tightening the wire nuts around the connected wires. Remember to connect the neutral wires and hot wires together. Again, consult a qualified person to determine which wires are which in your light fixture. I also made sure these connections were strain free by wrapping them in electrical tape. I then hid the connection above the chandelier, making sure nothing would cause this connection to become strained or strained in any way.

(Video) Chandelier to plug in swag lamp conversion

Step Three - Connect the Connector

On the other end of the lamp cord I secured the connector by simply inserting the cord into the open connector, following the directions for placing the crimped cord on the right side, and closing the connector until it clicks. The connector punches holes in the insulators and connects directly to the lead wire. Easy grip!

Step Four - Assemble Ceiling Hooks and Hang!

Once we have positioned our table and found the center, we will anchor our hook to the ceiling. We were lucky, our anchorage landed directly on a stallion. But if you can't find a ceiling joist, make sure you anchor the hook properly with a toggle anchor.

I also screwed in two smaller hooks to run the cable through the ceiling and wall. These do not need to be well anchored as they only support the weight of the cord. The final step is to hang the chandelier on the chain, attach the cord to the smaller hooks, and connect the chandelier!